When I came to Congress, I was excited to join President Obama in his bold vision for our nation: expanding healthcare to reach millions of Americans who had never had coverage before. We rolled up our sleeves, got to work and created the Affordable Care Act, the most significant piece of health care legislation since 1965.
Given the news yesterday around the Mueller Report and where we are as a country today, it’s hard to remember the optimism we felt nine years ago when the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. But we must remain focused on the task at hand, protecting our healthcare and fighting for basic human rights.
Since its creation, the ACA has provided comprehensive healthcare coverage and peace of mind for over 20 million Americans who are now covered.
In Connecticut, over 460,000 of our residents now have healthcare through the ACA. Our uninsured rate is down, most significantly in our rural areas and smaller towns where the uninsured dramatically dropped from 32% in 2008 to 9% in 2016.
This law has saved lives.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act: – Americans with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage or lose coverage. – Women cannot be charged more than men for healthcare. – Young adults can access healthcare through their family’s plans until they are 26 years old. – Preventative healthcare screenings like diabetes, HIV and domestic violence screenings and mammograms require no copay.
Healthcare does not have to be a partisan issue. We must build on this law and work to improve our healthcare system and Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
I remain committed to ensuring that everyone has access to adequate and affordable health care now and in the future. We must come together in a bipartisan way to improve and expand healthcare access while ensuring affordability.
We can find a solution that covers all Americans. Until then I will continue to fight and loudly lend my voice to protecting the Affordable Healthcare Act and all we have gained since its passage nine years ago.
Jim
